BANG! Suggested Reading
In researching this book I spent a lot of time looking at other children’s books
that explain the Big Bang and the creation of the Universe.
The following books are all very cool and informative in their own way,
and I thoroughly suggest checking all of them out.
The first two books listed below gave me a good scare when I first found them.
They are each part of a three-book series which explains
the creation of the universe, the evolution of life on earth and the history of humanity
and I was worried that my project would have little new to add.
Fortunately, it turned out that these books were significantly different from
what I was trying to make, and so I continued to work on my own project.
I do thoroughly recommend both of these sets of books.
Big Bang: The Story of the Universe
Crouper and Henbest, Corbella (illustrator); 1997; DK publishing; New York, NY
Very informative & useful reference book with lots of illustrations of particles and waves, as well as photos of stars and space
The Universe Explained:
The Earth-Dweller’s Guide to the Mysteries of Space
Colin A. Ronan; Henry Holt and Co.; 1994; New York, NY
Reference book with mixture of photo and drawn diagram-type illustrations. The “How the Universe Works” section deals with some very cool concepts.
The Universe
Seymour Simon; 1998; HarperCollins Publishers; New York, NY
The story of the big bang and star creation in minimal detail, accompanied by great color photos from space: nebulae and galaxies.
Powers of Ten (based on the film by Charles and Ray Eames)
Philip and Phylis Morrison ; Scientific American Books; 1982; NY
Interesting, but the video is really where it’s at. See below.
Films of Charles & Ray Eames: Volume 1:
Power of Ten Plus 901: After 45 Years of Work (DVD);
Eames; Image Entertainment; 1968
Charles and Ray Eames; a factor of ten every ten seconds. amazing and breath taking! Plus a glimpse at the workspace of a couple of very productive people.
Looking Down
Steve Jenkins; Houghton Mifflin; 1995; Boston & NY
Explores the effects of scale & zooming similar to the Powers of Ten, except with simple torn paper collage illustrations.
Big Bang!
The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck That Became Spectacular
Descristofano, Carrol (Illustrator); 2005; Charlesbridge
Great illustrations and colorful prose give a well-rounded explanation for younger readers.
A Briefer History of Time
From the Big Bang to the Big Mac
Schulman, 1999, St. Martin’s Press
This book isn’t illustrated, but it is very funny.
It’s under a Creative Commons license,
so you can download it for free from:
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3fs8i/bhtes/
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bryson, 1993, Broadway
Also lacking in illustrations, but very, VERY excellent.
Funny and informative. Bill Bryson is always a pleasure to read!
The Illustrated
A Brief History of Time
The Universe in a Nutshell
Stephen Hawking, 2007, Bantam Books
This one is a doozy!
Truly mind-warping concepts and very helpful illustrations.
Cartoon History of the Universe 1
Volume 1-7 From the BIG BANG to Alexander the Great
Gondick; 1997; Main Street Book
I love Larry Gondick’s illustration style and sense of humor.
If he had already written books that covered the same
material as I hoped to, I may have given up my project.
Fortunately, his three books focus largely on human history,
with the entire scope of my 1st book covered in just three pages.
Born with a Bang
The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story
Morgan, Anderson (Illustrator); 2002; Dawn Publications
These are three truly beautiful books which couldn’t be more stylistically different from mine. They feature full-cover
oil painting illustrations and the text takes the form
of a loving letter from the perspective of the Universe.
I think they are wonderful books, and I think they do a stunning job of making this story approachable to a very young audience. Additionally, there is plenty of factual information included in several appendices at the back of the book.
